I love fiction. I love the healthy dose of escapism that delving into a world created by imagination provides. However, I recently have come to love the world of nonfiction just as much. Nonfiction encompasses so many subjects; from sports to science, politics to poetry, and (my favorites) memoir and biography. Below are some nonfiction picks for teens that fascinated, inspired, and educated me on a variety of different subjects.

Weird Kentucky by Jeffery Scott HollandThe ghostly “Lady in Blue” of the Seelbach Hotel? A medieval castle in Lexington? A half-goat, half-man monster spotted on an abandoned train trestle off Taylorsville Rd? All these strange phenomena of the bluegrass state and many more can be found in Weird Kentucky. Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction.

Women Heros of World War II by Kathryn J. Atwood contains twenty-six intriguing and suspense-filled stories about women and girls who refused to sit on the sidelines during WWII and who risked their lives to defeat the Nazis.

The Look Book by Erika Stadler features the signature looks of beauty icons from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and gives step by step instruction on how to achieve any featured look. From Jackie Kennedy’s frosted pink lips to Kat Von D’s smoky eyes, this book covers any look you’ve ever wanted to try! A brief yet informative biography of each style icon is also included, so besides learning awesome new hair and makeup tricks, the reader can learn about the lives of these amazing women.

Poetry Speaks who I am edited by Elisa PaschenWith over 100 poems by a wide range of poets, Poetry Speaks who I am is a wonderful collection for already established lovers of poetry and those who are interested in learning more about the written art form. The anthology also includes an audio CD that features recordings of poets such as Robert Frost reading their original work.

Scalpels, Stitches and Scars by John TownsendSqueamish readers beware! Scalpels, Stitches, and Scars highlight’s bizarre and gruesome medical practices throughout history. From ancient South American tribes using the jaws of army ants to stitch up wounds to “living bandages” created from patient’s own skin cells, this book is a fascinating ride through the history of surgery. There are many full color photos throughout the book as well which could be considered a good or bad thing depending on your gross-out tolerance.

I hope you’ll be inspired to peruse the shelves of your local library for one of these gems! If you have any nonfiction reads that you would like to share please post in the comments section below.

Welcome back to the blog for the next installment of our summer series on the elements! This week we will tackle an important element that is crucial to the growth of virtually all plants and animals on Earth--Nitrogen (N).

Plants and animals alike depend on Nitrogen to promote growth. Plants use Nitrogen in chlorophyll molecules, which are a primary component in photosynthesis. All amino acids contain Nitrogen, and animals need amino acids to synthesize proteins and convert energy for growth and function.

Our atmosphere is approximately 78% Nitrogen, which sounds like there is an abundance of N available for plant and animal productivity, but atmospheric Nitrogen (N2) is unusable by plants and animals, because the N atoms are bound together in a triple bond. For uptake by plants and animals, N2 has to go through a series of conversions.

Nitrogen Conversion

Nitrogen Fixation - N2 is converted to NH3 (ammonia) by lightning strikes and soil-dwelling, symbiotic bacteria living on leguminous plants.

Nitrification - conversion of ammonia to nitrites (NO2-) which is then oxidized to nitrates by soil living bacteria

Denitrification - reduction process of nitrates back into atmospheric gas (N2) by bacteria in anaerobic conditions. This last portion of the process is important, because it keeps the cycle in balance.

Human Contribution

Agriculture is heavily dependent on the productivity of soil for plant growth. Starting in the first decade of the 20th Century, scientists started synthesizing ammonia by combining atmospheric N2 with Hydrogen gas (H2)--usually derived from methane (CH4). For more on this process, see Haber-Bosch.

While this process creates a readily accessible form of Nitrogen fertilizer for farmers, it can potentially impact the environment in a harmful way. Excess fertilization with Nitrogen and Phosphorus can wash out of farm fields and end in up in water systems.

An overabundance of these fertilizers can lead to a rapid genesis of potentially harmful algal blooms in waterways. Phytoplankton varieties of algae are plant species and react similarly to fertilizers as terrestrial plants would. This rapid growth can cause an over-use of dissolved oxygen in the water creating a hypoxic aquatic ecosystem, forcing out other organisms.

The take home message when it comes to synthetic Nitrogen fertilization is: balance.

Getting to Know the Nitrogen Cycle

One great way to experience the Nitrogen Cycle for yourself is to start a compost heap. The key to a successful compost operation is balancing the relationship of elemental components, or stoichiometry. Creating a Nitrogen-rich compost heap will allow you to safely fertilize a garden while participating in the Nitrogen Cycle.

For more on composting, be sure to check out Let it Rot!, a capstone volume on composting, and other eBooks at your library.

Good Things Come in Threes: Great Series for Summer Reading

Books in a series can be a blessing and a curse! When you finish a fun YA book, how great is it to discover that it is the first book in a trilogy? On the other hand, if the book was amazing, you usually have to wait a year or longer for the next book in the series to be published. Even though the wait is sometimes long and painful, I can’t help myself from starting YA trilogies. You are probably familiar with The Hunger Games series and Twilight…here are some other exciting, young adult series that I highly recommend. Just be warned…once you read one, you will likely be hooked!

You have probably heard your friends mention the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. This older teen novel focuses on Tris, a young teen who has to make a choice to either stay with the friends and family that she is familiar with or to strike out on her own. If you are not familiar with Divergent, stop what you are doing and find a copy to read, however you can! Trust me; it will change your life! The second book in the Divergent series, Insurgent, is available now, and Allegiant, the final book in the series, comes out Oct. 22 of this year.

Another older teen novel I enjoyed, Just One Day , by Gayle Foreman, ended with an amazing cliffhanger...another series! This novel focuses on Allyson and Will, who meet while on vacation in Europe and spend a perfect day together before he vanishes! The sequel, Just One Year, will be published on Oct. 15, 2013 and will be told from Will’s point of view. This is another book that I am eagerly awaiting!

The Selection , by Kiera Cass, is another older teen novel that is the first in a planned series. America Singer is one of 35 young, women vying for the chance to win the heart of Prince Maxon and live in luxury for the rest of her life. This dystopian novel is part Hunger Games, part Bachelorette, and all fun! The Elite is the second novel in this series and I am anxiously waiting for my copy to come in so I can find out what happens next!

Finally, there is Shatter Me, an older teen novel by Tahereh Mafi. In this dystopian novel, Juliette’s touch is lethal…no one can touch her without dying except the boy she has loved forever, Adam. Adam tries to help her escape the cruel government that wants to use Juliette’s powers as a weapon. The second book in the series, Unravel Me, is out now and the library also has her mini e-book, Destroy Me, available to download for free from our eBooks link. This series is truly addictive!

Do you have any trilogies or books in a series that you are obsessed with and love to recommend to friends? Add your favorite series to the comments section below and help spread the word about fun, YA series that would be perfect to complete Teen Summer Reading (TSR) at the library!

Science is Elemental at the Highlands/Shelby Park Branch

You - yes you - are cordially invited to join us on June 21 and 28 and July 12, 19 and 26, 2 - 4 pm at the Teen Outpost at the Highlands-Shelby Park Library to witness the fun side of Science. Yes, I said fun and science in the same sentence!

As one of my all-time favorite science heroes, Steve Spangler, can prove, science can be (not just a little, but a whole huge amount of) fun. If you have never heard of Steve Spangler, I recommend that you hop over to his YouTube page right now, and watch at least one video. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

See fun and science. Together. If you liked Steve’s videos, you should check out his book Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, which you can, of course, find at the Outpost.

But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there!

For our first Friday, we will be looking at building catapults and testing how far we can make a marshmallow fly. For our last Friday in July, we will look at non-Newtonian fluids. Katherine will be on hand to talk about Sir Isaac Newton’s lesser known quirks. And what about in between? Well, I guess you’ll just have to stop by and see for yourself.